Nothing says autumn to me like the smell of a cozy fire in the fireplace while an apple pie is baking on a chilly night. I am totally in my comfort zone enjoying the smoky smell of real wood as golden firelight flickers ambiance all over the room. The fragrance of baking apples with rich notes of clove and cinnamon is the ultimate indulgence for my senses. Many a candle maker has tried unsuccessfully to capture and imitate that spicy essence. While a few candlemakers come close to achieving this amazing scent, none have truly captured it to perfection like the real deal. A relaxing place for me to wait is cozily on the couch reading an intriguing book. I wait in anticipation for the timer to go off and the pie to come out. Once that incredible aroma wafts through the house it is sure to get the whole family’s attention. It is almost unbearable to share this delectable dish. It is, in fact, loved so much that it barely makes it through the night. Once it has been discovered, it disappears instantly among our family of five. Here’s how to do it!
Since this is one of my most enjoyable autumn traditions, I would like to share my recipe with you so that you can experience it for yourself. I am telling you the truth, there is no candle that will rival the fragrance in your home from baking a homemade apple pie in your oven. Before we begin let me tell you, I use a pre-made pie crust to save time. It comes out perfect each time I use it. It isn’t difficult to make your own crust if you’d like to. In my opinion, the refrigerated one is the easiest option with the best results. With that said, here are the ingredients that you will need to bake a wonderful apple pie.
- 1 Refrigerated 2-pie crust package
- 5 or 6 Granny Smith apples (I used a mix of Granny Smith and Gala here)
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Cup of Sugar
- 1/4 Cup of All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp. Ground Clove
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 stick of Butter
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 Egg
Step 1
Open one refrigerated, rolled up pie crust and place it in a buttered pie dish or pan. Lay the second aside for the top crust after the filling has been put in.
Step 2
Squeeze the lemon into a large bowl. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Put the sliced apples into the bowl of lemon juice. This will help keep them from turning brown. You may add 1/4 cup of water to dilute the lemon juice if you like. Mix the apples through the lemon juice thoroughly.
Step 3
Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and salt together in a separate bowl. Drain any lemon water from the apples. Coat the apple slices completely with the sugary mixture making sure that all the slices have been covered.
STEP 4
Slice butter and cut the slices into small cubes. Layer the cinnamon coated apple slices into the pie crust and put half of the small butter cubes throughout. Repeat, making sure to distribute evenly, until all apples are in the pie shell. Unroll the other pie crust and lay on top. Crimp the edges with your fingers, pressing them together and folding under any extra. Cut air vents in the middle. Brush with butter. Scramble the egg and brush over top of the buttered crust and sprinkle with sugar.
STEP 5
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Now, sit back and enjoy the incredible fragrance as it permeates your home. Maybe even put on a pot of coffee as it gets close to being done.
My favorite way to eat apple pie is hot from the oven with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top. Mmmmm. The ice cream melts into the cinnamony apples and crust, cooling the pie just perfectly to eat with a spoon so as not to miss out on a single bit of ooey-gooey goodness. My mouth is watering so bad right now I am going to have to make a trip to the store to buy more apples and ice cream. Nothing says autumn to me like a slice of warm apple pie with a fire in the fireplace. Even if you do not have a fireplace, this is all of the comforts of home in a nutshell to me.
